The Pursuit of Happiness
by adelinerose
Summary: Serena King needs of a serious life change. By chance she lands a once in a life time opportunity to be a lead in a new film. Will she succeed? Will it be everything she expected? Will she find something more? when love is involved who knows? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! New story! Hope you all like it! I always say this but I will finish the rest eventually… I just couldn't help myself with the new idea!

I was sitting in class and I couldn't help it. My glance drifted across the room, to them. A week ago I would have considered myself the girl that would be sitting there. The girl with guy and the girl who seemed to have it all. My palms began to sweat. They always did. I could hear the clock tick second by second. The bell rang and I made a run for it. I burst into the washroom and headed for the last stall. It seemed to be habit now. I found myself pathetic, the way I would allow myself to feel as I saw them together. I swore I would never be one of those girls. Sinking down against the wall I heard footsteps.

"Serena? Are you in here?" said the quiet voice. I raised my new sweaty face.

"Yeah Ames, I'm in here." I answered. She pushed open the door and closed it behind her. Unfortunately this happened so often lately that she didn't need an explanation. She knew. I think on some level all of our friends did. They just pitied me too much to say anything, to my face at least. In a moment of clarity, I responded.

"I need a change." I felt Amy pause from rubbing my back.

"Like what?" Amy asked.

"I don't know but all I do know is that I cannot be around them anymore. I feel like I'm drowning and I can't get out." I answered, not knowing either the extent of my pain anymore.

"Well, let's make it through the day and see what tomorrow brings." Amy answered. I smiled weakly and nodded. I slowly stood up and waited for the shaking in my legs to stop. I opened the stall door and stepped out. We walked to our next class without a word.

Later that day I was on my way to the library. When I went there it usually wasn't to study, it was for peace and silence. I would find a chair in the corner and take out my laptop and just relax. I was on my favorite gossip website and found one thing that peaked my interest. _Moon Princess novels in are made into a movie. Open casting. Send in your audition. Check out the link for more information! _

I read the article three times. I had the main criteria; light blonde hair, blue eyes and petite features. At this point I really thought I had lost it. _Audition for a movie_? I shook my head and took out my textbook to work on my chemistry assignment. Over the next couple of days the idea kept creeping through my thoughts. That Sunday night I caved. I dug out the old family video recorder. I curled my hair and put on some light make up. I tried to match myself to the moon princess I had read about. I searched through my closest for a flowing dress and found one that kind of matched the description. It was lilac and made of silk and gauze like material. It was sleeveless, with an empire waist. I zipped it up and looked in the mirror. I looked good but not great, but it was the best I had felt in weeks. I grabbed the copy of the first moon princess novel and flipped open to my favorite scene. For the first time in my life something just clicked, I knew I could do this. Hitting the record button I began.

Monday morning I walked to the university, making a small detour. I reached the post office just as it was opening; I reread the mailing address on the envelope and slipped it into the slot. Today was going to be good. I could feel it.

Starline Entertainment (One Week Later)

"So Darien, your contract is set. You will be playing the role of Endymion after you sign on the dotted line." Said Stan, the president of Starline Entertainment. Darien picked up the pen, touching it to the paper. He stopped.

"So, Beryl will be playing Serenity?" Darien asked. The only reason he was doing this project was because she wanted to. It was a great career move for him but really she was just great in bed and he was truly too lazy to seek out another bedmate.

" Well, we have about ten tapes left but she's the one as of right now. What are the chances that we will find someone better suited, especially an unknown?" Stan replied. Darien nodded. The chances of an unknown were slim and he signed the paper. Regardless, he would have a huge paycheck.

Later that day…

" Stan, come down to the viewing room. I have found our Serenity. She is absolutely perfect. " Adam said, hanging up the phone. He rewinded the tape again. She was exactly what he was looking for. Unknown or not, Serena King was the new Serenity.

Stan entered the viewing room. He was nervous, only that morning he had signed Darien Shields under the assumption that his latest squeeze would be playing the lead with him. Stan pulled the Tums out of his pocket, feeling his stomach beginning to knot. He should have listened to his mother; he should have been a dentist.

It had been almost two weeks since Serena had sent the video. She had lost all hope that she had by some miracle landed the role. She was sitting in the arcade with her beloved friend Andrew. He was one of the only guys that she trusted. She had just ordered her usual chocolate shake when her phone rang.

"Hello" Serena answered politely, not recognizing the number.

"Is this Serena King?" asked a male voice.

"Yes, it is. May I ask who is calling?"

" My name is Adam Smith and a couple of days ago I watched your video audition for the part of Serenity in Moon Princess." Serena thought it was a joke but quickly remembered that no one knew that she had auditioned.

"Anyways," He continued. " The part is yours, if you still want it." Serena couldn't believe it. It was the miracle she needed. She said a silent prayer.

"When should I be there?" She asked, not exactly knowing where there was.

"We start shooting a week from tomorrow. I will send your tickets tomorrow and we expect you there in five days. I will have someone from the studio pick you up. We will be shooting in a rural area, so your accommodations will be a trailer. Is that alright?" He asked.

"Yes." Serena squeaked out.

"Okay, well I look forward to meeting you, Serena." Adam said, hanging up. Serena was able to meekly reply goodbye and closed her phone. Andrew was bringing her chocolate shake and she looked up to him.

" I was just cast as the lead in the Moon Princess movie"

So that is chapter one. How do you like it? Should I continue? Should I put it in the trash bin? I will let you all be the judge. As always read and review, I really do appreciate it! Thanks, Adeline Rose!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two! Thanks for all the reviews. I have this story mostly outlined and I am so excited about it! I hope you enjoy it! And let me know if you have great ideas for new stories.

Another glass hit the wall shattering, shrieking followed. Darien rubbed his temples. This was day three of this behavior. Ever since the call came from the director she had completely snapped. At first he had enjoyed it because she took out all her frustration on him… in the bedroom. But now it was just breaking of everything that wasn't mounted to the walls. She stormed back into the living room.

"HOW COULD HE DO THIS FOR ME?" Beryl screamed. Darien had no idea what to tell her anymore, everything he said was the wrong thing. _Probably because there is nothing a person can say about her being replaced by a nobody. _He thought miserably. Beryl continued to stare at him waiting to answer.

" Look babe," He said grabbing her arms, " She will never play the role as well as you would have. I am sure within the first few days they will realize their mistake and hire you. Plus, I will make sure that she knows that she could never measure up to you."

Beryl seemed to find this an acceptable answer for now and leaned in to kiss him. Then quickly dragged him to his bedroom.

Meanwhile…

Serena sat in her room looking around. Deciding what to pack was so difficult. Her entire first nineteen years of life was around her. How would she ever pack this into two or three suitcases? She was thinking about tonight, the girls and Andrew had decided to throw her a party. At this point they were more excited than she was. Serena still couldn't believe it. At least her parents had taken it better than expected, well her mom did.

_Flashback _

Serena walked into the house and closed the door behind her. She had no idea how she would tell her parents. Would they even let her go? She found them both in the living room, her father reading the paper and her mother flipping through a magazine.

"Hi sweetheart" Her mother, Ilene greeted her. Serena sat down on the couch and looked to her mother, she felt sick to her stomach. She never thought she would be chosen. This was starting to become very complicated. Ilene touched her daughters arm in comfort.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Ilene had known that Serena had been struggling lately but didn't want to invade. She was afraid she would only upset her more.

" Mom, Dad," Serena began, "I have been feeling like I really need a change in my life. I sent in an audition for a movie and by luck, I got it. It would mean me moving to Alaska to film for three months." Tears filled her mother's eyes when she realized she would have to let her daughter go sooner than expected.

"What would you do about university?" her father asked, raising his voice.

" I could continue doing courses by distance, I wouldn't do as many but I can still work on getting my degree." Serena answered.

"Where would you stay in Alaska?" He asked, determined to find a flaw in the plan.

"They have us set up with our own trailers." Serena answered again.

"How will you be safe? How will you get there? " Her father countered back again.

"They sent me airline tickets and they have security. Dad, I will be fine. I need to do this" Serena answered for the final questions. Her Dad sighed and stood up, he said nothing else but just went directly upstairs. Her mother put down her magazine and patted Serena on the shoulder and followed her husband upstairs.

Serena could hear her parents fighting later that night. Her father wanted her to stay and her mother wanted to let her go. She knew that her mother would eventually win but she felt guilty that she was causing them to fight. The next morning her mother came into her room.

" Can we talk?" Ilene asked.

"Sure," Serena said sitting up. Her mother sat down on her bed.

"I know that we don't talk as much as we used to," her mother started, " but I can tell when something is bothering you. Your father and I decided that you can go but there has to be some conditions. You must call at least once a week and you must promise me that when you return I will have my bubbly daughter back instead."

Serena leaned over and hugged her mother. "I promise." She whispered.

_Back to the present…_

Serena decided to head to the closet first. Clothes would be easy. She was going during the spring and summer months but the place was still relatively cold. She began to search through her belongings. Before long she looked over at the clock seeing that it was almost eight, she dropped what she was doing and grabbed her things to head to the arcade.

Ten minutes later she entered the arcade and it had been decorated beautifully. There was balloons and streamers and a huge 'Good Luck Serena" banner. She walked over to Amy and Andrew smiling.

" You didn't have to do this!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, we did Serena! We are so proud of you. I know you will be great." Amy said hugging me. I hugged her back. Leaving her and Andrew would be the hardest. The night began to fly by as she talked to different people. She heard the bell ring and turned to see who it was. Allan walked through the doors with Ann in his arms. I felt my stomach start to sink. Ann went off to some of the girls she knew and Allan headed start for me. All I could think is that I just needed to get through this conversation and I was out of here.

"So, you really are leaving?" Allan asked. I couldn't believe this guy. It was like he wasn't even a real person sometimes. I nodded anyways.

"Yes, I actually leave tomorrow." I said, taking a sip of champagne, waiting for it to take affect.

"Why would you do this anyways? You never mentioned acting to me before." He continued.

" I didn't mention everything to you." I answered curtly.

"Well, I guess I should say good luck and I will miss you. I mean you know you are one of my closest friends, right?" He asked, having the nerve to reach for my hand. I pulled back instinctively, knowing that I might not be able to resist his touch despite the damage he had caused.

"Well, I guess I might see you in a few months." I finish the conversation and start walking back to Andrew. I finish my glass and instantly reach for another and down that one too. I lay down my glasses and start my good-byes. I reach Andrew and my eyes start to water. I grab him and pull him close and I feel him hug me back.

"I miss you, already." Serena said just loud enough for him to hear. Andrew could feel like starting to doubt her decision and pulled away.

"Serena, look at me" Andrew said, in a soft but commanding voice, " Starting tomorrow, do not ever doubt yourself. You are perfect for this part. Don't ever regret this decision to leave. Tomorrow is a new beginning. Amy and I will always be there for you but you have to do this for yourself. You owe yourself. I love you."

Serena smiled and nodded. She shuffled slightly to the right and embraced Amy, holding her tightly.

" Be safe and stay true to your heart." Her blue-haired friend whispered. After hugging them again, Serena left the arcade. Feeling the light buzz of a couple of drinks she decided to take a walk through the park. Sitting on her favorite bench she closed her eyes. The soft wind against her skin calmed her. She knew that she should be getting home but stayed just a few more minutes. She took in the view of the beautiful flowers and the lake. She had always appreciated it. Gathering her purse she left to walk home. She soaked in her surroundings all the way to her house. Opening the door to her bedroom she climbed into bed and closed her eyes, dreaming of next day.

Serena opened her eyes the next morning peaking out between the covers it was only ten in the morning. Her flight wasn't set to leave until three so she still had sometime. She got out of bed not wanting to waste any of her time left with her family. The hours left with them passed to quickly for Serena and her family. Before she knew it she was on her way to the airport. Her parents pulled the car over in front of the entrance. Her father rushed to the trunk to grab her bags and her mother busied herself saying her goodbyes. Ten minutes later Serena was in the line at the check-in. Over the course of an hour Serena made her way to the terminal entrance and waited for boarding to start. Finally another hour later she was sitting on the plane, making the trip of a lifetime.

The plane landed several hours later, waking Serena from her nap. Waking up and feeling refreshed, she stretched. Slowly making her way through the people she collected her luggage. Towards the exit she saw a man holding a sign with her name on it. She headed in the direction and prayed that he was with Starlight Entertainment.

"Hi, I'm Serena King." She said, dropping her bag.

"Hi, I'm Leonard. I am here to take you to the set. This is my i.d." he said, Serena looked at the card and was satisfied.

The drive to the set was about an hour; she could tell that they were in the middle of nowhere. But as they came closer it was like a city within itself. There were people everywhere, they were construction sites, and it was absolutely magical.

When the car came to stop, she saw a couple of people waiting to greet her.

"I'm Stan, the president of Starline Entertainment. It is a real pleasure to finally meet you. I expect great things from you, Ms. King." He said extending his hand. Serena extended hers and replied.

"The pleasure is all mine, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime." She replied smiling. Stan smiled too. It had been a long time since someone had thanked him for giving him or her a part in a production. He knew they she was special. She turned to greet the other man with Stan.

"Hi Serena. I am Adam Smith, the director. I look forward to working with you." He said.

"I'm looking forward to it as well." Serena replied.

"I will show you to your trailer." Said Stan. Serena followed him onto the golf cart. They drove for a couple of minutes and stopped in front of a large trailer.

"I will leave you to explore it yourself. If there is anything I can get you to make your stay more comfortable please let me know." He said, sitting back onto the cart.

Serena thanked him, not taking her eyes off the trailer. She walked up and opened the door. It was beautiful inside. There was a small kitchen with a built in table, a living room with a leather couch and flat screen TV. and a small window seat. She made her way further to the back to find a large bathroom with a giant tub and shower, with marble counters. Reaching the door at the end of the hallway she opened the door. It was a master bedroom with a queen-sized bed, another TV, a fairly large closet and a small night table. The bedding was a beautiful gold and the bed was filled with duvet pillows and blankets. She ran and jumped on the bed. Lying down she felt completely content.

A couple of hours later Serena heard knocking at her door. She got up and went to the door. When she opened it she was surprised to see three girls around her age there. They were all quite beautiful.

"Hi." Said the blond, "I'm Mina. This is Raye and Lita." She continued, " We are going to be your costars for the movie!"

"It's great to meet you" Serena said relieved. It was nice to know that she had some people the same age as her around.

"Anyways," the brunette said, "We are going to grab lunch and get to know each other, would you like to come?" she asked.

"Definitely! I'm Serena by the way."

The girls hopped into a car, which Serena presumed to be Lita's, since she was driving. It didn't take the girls long to start singing along to the radio and joking around. By the end of lunch they had shared their past lives together. How they came to working on the movie. Serena remembered to ask something they she had forgotten all day.

"This question might seem stupid but who is playing the part of Endymion? When I got the call I was so rushed I didn't get many of the details except when to get here." Serena said. The girls looked from one to the other not sure of what to say.

"What? Is he that bad?" Serena asked starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"No, but the person who was cast was under the assumption he would be playing the part with his girlfriend. So he might not be the easiest to get along with. His name is Darien Shields." Raye answered.

"I think I have watched a few of his movies. He doesn't seem so bad." Serena said.

"Well Serena, there is a huge difference between how people act on the screen and how they are in real life. It's rumored that he wasn't always so demanding. I think it must have stemmed from his girlfriend, Beryl. She a real winner." Lita said.

"Apparently, she has her claws dug deep into Darien. I worked with her on a movie once before. It was terrible but the last few days the crew was ready to run." Mina added. Serena nodded taking in the rest of the information.

The girls eventually forgot about it and began to gossip about various things going on in the world. When they reached the set they were told to prepare for the first script reading tomorrow morning. Serena and the girls departed. She felt much better being here and already having friends.

When she entered her trailer she dropped her purse and sat at the kitchen table. She opened her laptop and quickly connected the Internet. She opened Google and quickly typed in Darien Shields. She felt a bit weird creeping on her future co-worker but she wanted to know a bit more about him. After looking through his wikipedia page she found the link to Beryl's. She clicked on it and watched the screen fill up. There on the page was incident after incident of detailed experiences by various people that had come in contact with her. Not one person said anything nice. She exited the page and closed the computer. If she read much more she was scare herself out of doing the movie and plus she thought as she climbed into bed _she probably will never show up anyways, she wasn't even in the movie._


	3. Chapter 3

Serena woke that morning way earlier than usual. She had more energy than she had in months. For the first time her last thoughts of the night before had not been of Allan and his betrayal and she had slept with ease. She looked at her clock, she still had an hour until she was expected for the first reading of the movie. Normally she would have rolled over and savored the last hour of sleep but there was something different about this morning.

She quickly got up and changed into her running clothes, grabbed her ipod and left the trailer. Serena found herself running along a beautiful trail that overlooked a large lake. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Before she realized she was back at the trailers and noticed a commotion, she spotted Lita and Mina towards the back and walked towards them.

"Hey girls! What's going on?" Serena asked. Mina turned to her.

"Mr. Wonderful has arrived. Apparently he had to have a grand entrance." She laughed.

"Maybe he head has become so large that it's stuck in his trailer door and everyone is gathered to try and get him out" Lita chimed in. All three girls laughed.

"Well girls, I'm going to grab a quick shower, I will see you at the table in thirty minutes." Serena waved as she left. Serena jumped in the shower quickly and changed quickly too. She wore a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, brown riding boots that came up to her knees and a simple cream blouse. She looked at her hair, it was a mess. It was just dry enough that it wasn't dripping and the natural curls were starting to form. Knowing that there was nothing she could do about the situation, she grabbed her brown knit sweater and left the trailer.

Serena arrived at the large tent. When she entered it was impossible to tell from the inside that this was indeed an oversized tent. The large tables were set up in a square with names printed on each place, a large buffet with fruits, cheeses, croissants and various baked goods. Serena grabbed a plate and picked up some fruit, an orange-cranberry muffin and a bottle of water and walked to her seat. She noted that on her one side was Mina, Raye and Lita's names but on the other was none other than Darien Shields. Serena took her seat as others walked in and did the same. She was soon consumed in conversation with the three girls and failed to notice when Darien took his seat until Raye motioned towards her left side. Serena turned around and saw Darien up close. She was a bit taken back. He really was quiet hansom. This close to him she could see his strong build and his well-sclupted face. She smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Serena. I look forward to working with you, Darien." Darien turned and looked at her. If he was being completely objective and not under the impression that he was to hate the girl that made his life difficult once Beryl didn't receive the role, he would have thought she was very attractive. It wasn't hard for him to understand why she had won the part. Unfortunately for him that wasn't the case and he didn't need the additional drama from Beryl.

Darien smirked and said, " I know that you must think because we are working together that we must talk but we both know why the directors chose you for the role."

Serena was confused and quickly looked towards the girls but they wore the same expression as she.

" The truth is," he continued, " that there were definitely budget cuts made to this movie and really they chose you because you were cheap. I mean, you don't truly believe that you are sitting next to me as my equal? Or equal to Beryl or the other A list actors that auditioned?"

Serena felt her eyes burn but refused to give the jerk the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Thankfully he was stopped before he could say more as the director began to talk.

They made it through ten hours before they had finally called it quits. This was the schedule from today until Friday. Then starting on Monday would be the first actual shots of the film.

Once the day was over, Darien quickly left the table mentioning something about Skype and Beryl. The three guys sitting next to him stood up and walked over to Serena.

They introduced themselves as Chad, Ken and Greg. The gang chatted before Ken spoke up again.

"Serena," he started nervously, " we just want you to know that we don't believe what Darien said about you being cast for those reasons. You did an amazing job today. We also want to apologize for him. He wasn't always so mean."

Serena smiled and replied, " Thanks, that means a lot but unfortunately I don't accept apologizes from someone when they are given by their friends."

The gang continued to chat until they all agreed to go out Friday night to a local bar that Chad had found while looking around town yesterday. The next few days passed quickly and though Serena was constantly being put down by Darien at every table session but that didn't matter to her because she was receiving so much encouragement from Adam, Stan and the rest of the staff.

It was after nine and the girls were in Serena's trailer. It was the biggest, so they had decided to get ready there together. Raye was wearing a beautiful red tank with ruffles and a high waist skirt and a pair of black heels. Serena was pulling back Raye's hair into a high, tight bun. Mina was dressed in a high neck gold sequence dress with a completely open back. Mina had already finished her hair and had it pulled hair back and the rest curled. Mina was working on Lita's hair pulling it up into a slicked back ponytail. Lita wore a green, strapless that came just above her knees. Serena was the last to get dressed pulling out outfit after outfit to show the girls. Mina, who was sick of them going through all the clothes went through Serena's closet. Mina dug around until she found exactly what she was looking for.

Mina turned around with the outfit in her hands, " this is it ladies, our Serena is going to give all the guys something to think about tonight."

Serena turned to see the outfit she had in her hands. Mina was holding a black lace dress that came to her mid thigh. The sleeves reached her elbows, had a scooped neck and a low back. It went perfect with her dark makeup and curled hair. She grabbed her back shoes as they headed to the club. The club was a twenty minute ride from the set. As they entered the music was loud, the lights dimed and there was a huge crowd there for what Serena thought was supposed to be a small crowd. The girls quickly spotted the guys as they headed to the bar. Serena and the girls along with all the guys except Darien were dancing along. He was sitting back in a booth on his cell. Serena saw him hang up and shoot the rest of his drink. Followed by three more. After that Serena was distracted by Mina dragging her on the dance floor and didn't see Darien the rest of the night.

At around two o'clock Serena's feet hurt and she was fighting the urge to sleep. The other girls weren't ready to leave so Serena retrieved her coat from the coat check before noticing Darien sitting at the bar with numerous empty drinks in front of him. Serena wanted to leave him there after the way he had been treating her since she arrived but she realized that she was better than that. She walked over to him and nudged him in the shoulder.

"Darien, I'm leaving now, want to share a cab?" Serena asked. Darien looked at Serena, he thought she looked beautiful and he had learned throughout the past week that she wasn't such a bad actress either. He would never let her in on that secret but as he spent more time with his friends and this cast away from the craziness of LA he began to remember what it was like before Beryl. Beryl had a hold on him that he couldn't describe but now he was starting to think that it was no longer a positive one. He gave Serena a nod and stood up. He stumbled a bit and Serena grabbed his side, holding him steady and walking him to the door. She paused at the door to grab Darien's coat and help him slip it on.

"Why are you helping me? I've been terrible to you." Darien asked quietly as they waited for the taxi to arrive. Serena smiled and replied.

" That's a good question," Serena laughed, " Maybe, I refuse to believe that you are really that terrible." She finished, looking at him.

"There was a time when I wasn't." Darien replied. The cab arrived and she helped him into the cab. When the cab driver stopped, Serena got out first and helped Darien to his trailer. She got him to bed and helped take off his shoes and turned to leave and Darien reached out and grabbed Serena's wrist.

"Thanks, for the help." Darien said

" Anytime." Serena replied.

"I'm really sorry about everything, Serena. Maybe we could start over?" Darien asked so quietly.

"I think we could do that." Serena smiled as she left his trailer and walked towards her own. She smiled as she got undressed and climbed into bed. _Maybe he wasn't so bad after all,_ was Serena's last thought before sleep consumed her.


End file.
